Vaporizer devices or facial treatment devices are known for complexion care, such as to provide steam facials. Examples of previous types of these devices include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,152,240 (Scott) and 3,351,737 (Katzerman et al.) These units employ rigid hood members which are open at one end so that the person receiving the facial treatment can place his or her face thereover during the treatment process. These devices are generally bulky and difficult to transport due to the size and rigidity of the hoods employed therein.
In order to overcome the drawback of the relatively large and bulky hood, U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,641 (Frank et al.) discloses a vaporizer and/or facial treatment device which utilizes a collapsible hood for controlling the flow of steam so that a more compact and easily transportable arrangement is provided than prior art types of facial treatment devices.
It is also known to design light weight, portable hair dryers with collapsible hoods which are adapted to be opened up and placed over the user's head for the purpose of drying the user's hair. The collapsible hood can thereafter be folded into a compact arrangement for storage when the dryer is not in use. A dryer of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,966 (Downey.)
A facial sauna device employing a plastic substrate which can be positioned into a facial shield for channeling steam to a user's face is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,493,722 (FIGS. 22-26), issued to Popeil. When not in use as a shield the substrate can be wrapped about the steam chest of the facial sauna to function as a protective carrying case (FIGS. 30 and 31).